Copenhagen - An Enormous Carbon Footprint

Cooperating in Copenhagen
Courtney Martin

Climate change is one of so many pressing problems that are less about "good politics," and more about good sense.

Global warming is an issue that is less about good sense than is about a power grab.

Rank hypocrisy on the part of the nations leading the charge doesn't help.

The agenda awaits!

   SPECIAL TOPIC Solutions for Copenhagen

As the climate change meetings kick off in Copenhagen today, many skeptics suggest little progress can be made in the next two weeks. This isn't for lack of solutions. In fact, for months, Bulletin authors have been proposing ways in which to build and support international strategies toward slowing climate change. Are the world's politicians and diplomats listening?

Enhancing cooperation between the health and climate sectors BY CLIVE MUTUNGA, KAREN HARDEE, AND KATHLEEN MOGELGAARD Despite the well-known relationship between climate change and health, WHO has been only tangentially involved in major international climate efforts--a situation that must change.


Bringing climate change into global governance BY PAUL R. EPSTEIN Even taken together, today's international governance organizations aren't capable of addressing the changing climate. The necessary step toward rectifying this problem: a new financial architecture that supports both adaptation and mitigation strategies.


A neglected climate strategy: Empower women, slow population growth BY LAURIE MAZUR Instead of pouring resources into expensive geoengineering research, we should pursue low-tech reproductive health and women's empowerment programs that have widespread social benefits and can reduce CO2 emissions.


The politically possible: How to achieve success in Copenhagen BY JEFFREY FRANKEL Climate negotiations are at a standstill as developed and developing countries argue over who should limit their carbon emissions first. But there is a way to break the roadblock.

Saudi Arabia Is Happy To See "Climategate" Ruin The Copenhagen Conference

World's #1 oil nation calls for an international probe of the scandal.

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Saudi Arabia calls for 'climategate' investigation...

Your statistics are lies. These delegates and whatnot eat and drink coffee regardless of where they are. Rolling out carpets and cables too is pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. The humans who do it would still breathe if it weren't for the conference. So let's not get too worked up here. The biggest pollution factor will be jets. Although I've been told that quite a few delegates are coming by train.

Thanks for your comments.  I suppose we could argue about statiscs on coffee people drink when they're not at a meeting.  With all the meeting these leaders have had lately, i.e. G8, G20, etc etc.  climate change could have been on the agenda.  I didn.t grab this statistics out of hot air.  I.m not in the habit of making things up.  I think it is interesting what the carbon imprint is, no less.  Since we live in a free society you may make of them as you wish.

many people on the world still not care about global warming, nice info, lets save our earth

Thanks for your comments

If they are serving fair trade coffee the footprint might get a little smaller. : )

I wonder what the carbon foot print for the Olympics in China was?  I don't remember anyone being concerned then.

The abominable snowman melted outside today, leaving a carbon footprint resembling that of bigfoot.

There won't be any snowman melting here for a long time.  :)

cowpoke

Are you such that wasnt a power outage??? : )

Since you bring it up, there is a world recognition of energy use. It's called Global Earth Hour and was in March. 

It started two years ago, and I have done it both years so far.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/01/31/everyone-turn-off-your-lights/

The abominable snowman melted outside today, leaving a carbon footprint resembling that of bigfoot....

The abominable snowman melted outside today, leaving a carbon footprint resembling that of bigfoot.

Beyond Copenhagen – Editorial, New York Times: Nobody should expect a planet-saving agreement from the negotiations that begin this week in Copenhagen aimed at reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases. But the talks were in real danger of blowing up not long ago. Now there is a good chance for at least an interim deal, mainly because the United States and China, the world’s two biggest emitters, have promised to reduce or slow their emissions and their two leaders have agreed to attend. Below image from

Fresh air in Copenhagen: A sound approach for getting climate-change aid to developing countries - Editorial, Washington Post: While the commitments on the table before the conference -- most recently from the United States, China and the subcontinent -- are almost certainly inadequate, they have made possible a Copenhagen agreement that will at least put the world on the right path.

DISPATCHES FROM COPENHAGENAmerica Is Serious about Climate Action

By Andrew Light, Julian L. Wong, Kari Manlove, Saya Kitasei

Success in Copenhagen will depend on whether the very idea of an interim agreement—something critical to give the United States and the rest of the world time to finish their work—is considered an acceptable outcome for the U.N. climate change conference. Find out more here.

What You Need to Know: 
The U.N. Convention in Copenhagen 101

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Historic Climate Conference Opens to Dire Warnings"For the next two weeks, Copenhagen will be Hopenhagen. By the end, we must be able to deliver back to the world what was granted us here today: hope for a better future."

Climate Talk About More Than Energy

Viable Alternatives to Fossil Fuels Still Decades AwayAs the Climate Change talks get underway in Copenhagen this week, there is much attention focused on alternative energy sources that produce little or no greenhouse gas pollution. Some of these energy sources - like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal - are also attractive because they are renewable and offset the need for imported oil, gas or coal. But, it will be a long time before any of these energy sources will be a large-scale alternative to fossil fuels.

Right-Wing Billionaire Funding Swift Boat Campaign Against Global Warming ScienceDavid Koch, co-owner of an oil and gas empire, has funded all of the major organizations dedicated to debunking the facts of global warming.

Dogdammit ... If we could just get the energy efficiency of solar cells up to 40% (from current 14%) the problems would be nearly all solved. We need every drop of oil preserving for plastics production which currently accounts for half of oil consumption as it is.

During WWII America went from the Brewster Buffalo (an appallingly bad plane) to the P-51 Mustang (an incredibly good plane) in the space of 5 years. Research the leap in performance statistics between these 2 and see how much can be done if the effort is applied. This task needs a similar war footing. A Manhattan Sun Project, if you like. 

In the meantime, let's go nuclear. 3 years of nuclear waste produced in a French reactor would fit into the back of a taxi. Ignore the scare mongering with images of yellow barrels leaking green ooze. Utter X-Files-like rubbish. Coal-fired plants actually pump out more radiation than nuclear plants via the residual radioactivity in coal.